Colorectal cancer is the third most common neoplasm worldwide. The mortality rate of newly diagnosed large bowel cancer approaches 50% and there has been little improvement over the past 40 years. Most of this mortality reflects local, regional and distant metastases.
Surgery is the mainstay of treatment for colorectal cancer but recurrence is frequent. Colorectal cancer has proven resistant to chemotherapy, although limited success has been achieved using a combination of 5-fluorauracil and levamisole. Surgery has had the largest impact on survival and, in some patients with limited disease, achieves a cure. However, surgery removes bulk tumor, leaving behind microscopic residual disease which ultimately results in recrudescence.
Early detection of primary, metastatic, and recurrent disease can significantly impact the prognosis of individuals suffering from colorectal cancer. Large bowel cancer diagnosed at an early stage has a significantly better outcome than that diagnosed at more advanced stages. Similarly, diagnosis of metastatic or recurrent disease earlier potentially carries with it a better prognosis.
Although current radiotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents and biological toxins are potent cytotoxins, they do not discriminate between normal and malignant cells, producing adverse effects and dose-limiting toxicities. Over the past decade, a novel approach has been employed to more specifically target agents to tumor cells, involving the conjugation of an active agent to molecules which binds preferentially to antigens that exist predominantly on tumor cells. These conjugates can be administered systemically and specifically bind to the targeted tumor cells. Theoretically, targeting permits uptake by cells of cytotoxic agents at concentrations which do not produce serious toxicities in normal tissues. Also, selective binding to targeted tumor cells facilitates detection of occult tumor and is therefore useful in designing imaging agents. Molecular targeting predominantly has employed monoclonal antibodies generated to antigens selectively expressed on tumor cells.
Immunoscintigraphy using monoclonal antibodies directed at tumor-specific markers has been employed to diagnose colorectal cancer. Monoclonal antibodies against carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) labelled with 99Technetium identified 94% of patients with recurrent tumors. Similarly, 111Indium-labelled anti-CEA monoclonal antibodies successfully diagnosed 85% of patients with recurrent colorectal carcinoma who were not diagnosed by conventional techniques. 125Iodine-labelled antibodies have been effective in localizing more than 80% of the pathologically-confirmed recurrences by intraoperative gamma probe scanning.
Monoclonal antibodies have also been employed to target specific therapeutic agents in colorectal cancer. Preclinical studies demonstrated that anti-CEA antibodies labelled with 90Yttrium inhibited human colon carcinoma xenografts in nude mice. Antibodies generated to colorectal cancer cells and coupled to mitomycin C or neocarzinostatin demonstrated an anti-tumor effect on human colon cancer xenografts in nude mice and 3 patients with colon cancer. Similar results in animals were obtained with monoclonal antibodies conjugated to ricin toxin A chain.
Due to the sensitivity, specificity, and adverse-effect profile of monoclonal antibodies, the results obtained using monoclonal antibody-based therapeutics have shown them to be less than ideal targeting tools. Although monoclonal antibodies have been generated to antigens selectively expressed on tumors, no truly cancer-specific antibody has been identified. Most antigens expressed on neoplastic cells appear to be quantitatively increased in these compared to normal cells but the antigens are nonetheless often present in normal cells. Thus, antibodies to such determinants can react with non-neoplastic tissues, resulting in significant toxicities. Also, antibodies are relatively large molecules and consequently, often evoke an immune response in patients. These immune responses can result in significant toxicities in patients upon re-exposure to the targeting agents and can prevent targeting by the monoclonal due to immune complex formation with degradation and excretion. Finally, binding of antibodies to tumor cells may be low and targeted agents may be delivered to cells in quantities insufficient to achieve detection or cytotoxicity.
There remains a need for reagents, kits and methods for screening, diagnosing and monitoring individuals with colorectal cancer, particularly metastasized colorectal cancer. There is a need for reagents, kits and methods for identifying and confirming that a cancer of unknown origin is colorectal cancer and for analyzing colon tissue and colorectal cancer samples to identify and confirm colorectal cancer and to determine the level of migration of such cancer cells. There remains a need for compositions which can specifically target metastasized colorectal cancer cells. There is a need for imaging agents which can specifically bind to metastasized colorectal cancer cells. There is a need for improved methods of imaging metastasized colorectal cancer cells. There is a need for therapeutic agents which can specifically bind to metastasized colorectal cancer cells. There is a need for improved methods of treating individuals who are suspected of suffering from colorectal cancer cells, especially individuals who are suspected of suffering from metastasis of colorectal cancer cells. There is a need for vaccine composition to treat and prevent metastasized colorectal cancer. There is a need for therapeutic agents which can specifically deliver gene therapeutics, antisense compounds and other drugs to colorectal cells.